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A Boy Is Not a Bird #2
A Boy Is Not a Ghost
Winner, Quebec Writers' Federation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children and Young Adult LiteratureFinalist, Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People’s LiteratureIn this sequel to the award-winning A Boy Is Not a Bird, a boy is exiled to Siberia during World War II. Based on a true story.
Torn from his home in Eastern Europe, with his father imprisoned in a Siberian gulag, twelve-year-old Natt finds himself stranded with other deportees in a schoolyard in Novosibirsk. And he is about to discover that life can indeed get worse than the horrific two months he and his mother have spent being transported on a bug-infested livestock train. He needs to write to his best friend, Max, but he knows the Soviet police reads everyone’s mail. So Natt decides to write in code, and his letters are a lifeline, even though he never knows whether Max will receive them.
Every day becomes a question of survival, and where they might be shunted to next. When his mother is falsely arrested for stealing potatoes, Natt is truly on his own and must learn how to live the uncertain life of an exile. Practice being invisible as a ghost, change your name and identity if you have to, watch out for spies, and never draw the attention of the authorities.
Even then, he will need luck on his side if he is ever going to be reunited with his family.
Key Text Features
author's note
Illustrations
map
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
Torn from his home in Eastern Europe, with his father imprisoned in a Siberian gulag, twelve-year-old Natt finds himself stranded with other deportees in a schoolyard in Novosibirsk. And he is about to discover that life can indeed get worse than the horrific two months he and his mother have spent being transported on a bug-infested livestock train. He needs to write to his best friend, Max, but he knows the Soviet police reads everyone’s mail. So Natt decides to write in code, and his letters are a lifeline, even though he never knows whether Max will receive them.
Every day becomes a question of survival, and where they might be shunted to next. When his mother is falsely arrested for stealing potatoes, Natt is truly on his own and must learn how to live the uncertain life of an exile. Practice being invisible as a ghost, change your name and identity if you have to, watch out for spies, and never draw the attention of the authorities.
Even then, he will need luck on his side if he is ever going to be reunited with his family.
Key Text Features
author's note
Illustrations
map
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2021
47 people want to read
About the author
Edeet Ravel
23 books84 followersEdeet Ravel is the author of sixteen books for children and adults. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and have won numerous awards, including the Hugh MacLennan Book Award, the J.I. Segal Award, the Canadian Jewish Book Award (in two categories), the Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, and the Snow Willow Award. Edeet's books have also been shortlisted for the Giller Prize, the Commonwealth Book Prize, and the Arthur Ellis Crime Award. Edeet was a three-time Governor General's Award finalist in two categories. Her novel The Saver (Groundwood) was adapted into film by Wiebke von Carolsfeld. Her latest (crossover) novels are A Boy Is Not a Bird and A Boy Is Not a Ghost, about a child who is exiled to Siberia in WWII, and Miss Matty, in which a teenager in Montreal of 1942 dreams of being a Hollywood star. In the words of one young reader, "Edeet has a vision where what is strange is loved and what is beautiful -- our planet, our humanity -- is protected." Edeet lives in Montreal, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 31, 2021
Based on true events, this sequel to A Boy is Not a Bird continues the story of Natt Silver. You may remember that Natt's father was arrested and sent to a gulag in Siberia after their Eastern European home came under Soviet occupation, and he was considered an enemy of the Soviet state.
Now, in the summer of 1941, Natt and his mother, along with 26 other people, have been traveling in a cattle car for more than six weeks after being arrested and are on their way to Siberia. The journey is nothing short of a lice-infested "Train of Horrors, finally ending in Novosibirsk, in southern Siberia. There, they are taken to an outdoor schoolyard where they will be staying. Natt is still haunted by the terrible thing he did after his father was arrested. His mother was told she could see his father through a window at a certain time, but when she and Natt walked by, Natt turned his head away from the window, an act he is sure he will never forgive himself for and is convinced his father won't either.
Life in Siberia allows for a certain amount of movement, simply because escape is pretty much out of the question. But life is hard hard. There is never enough to eat, clothing is old, dirty, patched, and never warm enough. And each time their circumstances change, Natt thinks things can't get any worse, and yet they do. But Natt also makes friends wherever he goes, who can often help in get wants he wants. There is Irena, 18, who voluntarily travels to Siberia in the same cattle cart as Natt and the others, in order to try and find information about her exiled parents. Natt lives with her for a while when his mother is arrested for "stealing potatoes" after being set up by an official who needed to meet her arrest quota. And there is Olga and Peter, siblings who live in Novosibirsk and whose father has an important and useful-for-Natt job. And Gabi Mindru, 11, whose mother takes Natt in when Irena leaves to find her parents, and who nurses him back to health when he gets deathly ill. Through Gabi, Natt meets Igor, 16, whose father is an NKVD captain, but who also proves helpful to Natt, nevertheless.
Like the first book, A Boy is Not a Ghost is an very readable novel, and narrated in the first person by Natt, who is as beguiling as ever. His story, which begins when Natt is 11-years-old ends towards the end of the war when he is 15, as you might have surmised, it is a book about fighting to survive every day against all odds. Natt, who often misread people and their motives in the first book, learns to make himself invisible, and to communicated in code and to understand when others communicate to him in code. I wrote about the first book that Natt held on to his innocence in part because there were always enough kind people in his life who really liked him, and though no longer as innocent as he once was, Natt is still an extremely likable boyand people are often willing to help him.
He is still writing to his best friend Max in Switzerland, though he never hears from him and the reader never finds out if he made to safety. But Natt's letters are a wonderful shortcut vehicle for more giving information about what is happening with Natt and the other exiles in Siberia.
Though it is a sequel, A Boy is Not a Ghost can be read as a stand alone novel, though I would recommend reading both books. The author, Edeet Ravel, has included a lot of information relevant to Natt's experiences under Soviet occupation in the book's back matter that I would also recommend reading. I read an eARC and did not see all of the chapter illustrations or map that will be in the published book.
A Boy is Not a Ghost will be available on September 7, 2021.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from Edelweiss+
Now, in the summer of 1941, Natt and his mother, along with 26 other people, have been traveling in a cattle car for more than six weeks after being arrested and are on their way to Siberia. The journey is nothing short of a lice-infested "Train of Horrors, finally ending in Novosibirsk, in southern Siberia. There, they are taken to an outdoor schoolyard where they will be staying. Natt is still haunted by the terrible thing he did after his father was arrested. His mother was told she could see his father through a window at a certain time, but when she and Natt walked by, Natt turned his head away from the window, an act he is sure he will never forgive himself for and is convinced his father won't either.
Life in Siberia allows for a certain amount of movement, simply because escape is pretty much out of the question. But life is hard hard. There is never enough to eat, clothing is old, dirty, patched, and never warm enough. And each time their circumstances change, Natt thinks things can't get any worse, and yet they do. But Natt also makes friends wherever he goes, who can often help in get wants he wants. There is Irena, 18, who voluntarily travels to Siberia in the same cattle cart as Natt and the others, in order to try and find information about her exiled parents. Natt lives with her for a while when his mother is arrested for "stealing potatoes" after being set up by an official who needed to meet her arrest quota. And there is Olga and Peter, siblings who live in Novosibirsk and whose father has an important and useful-for-Natt job. And Gabi Mindru, 11, whose mother takes Natt in when Irena leaves to find her parents, and who nurses him back to health when he gets deathly ill. Through Gabi, Natt meets Igor, 16, whose father is an NKVD captain, but who also proves helpful to Natt, nevertheless.
Like the first book, A Boy is Not a Ghost is an very readable novel, and narrated in the first person by Natt, who is as beguiling as ever. His story, which begins when Natt is 11-years-old ends towards the end of the war when he is 15, as you might have surmised, it is a book about fighting to survive every day against all odds. Natt, who often misread people and their motives in the first book, learns to make himself invisible, and to communicated in code and to understand when others communicate to him in code. I wrote about the first book that Natt held on to his innocence in part because there were always enough kind people in his life who really liked him, and though no longer as innocent as he once was, Natt is still an extremely likable boyand people are often willing to help him.
He is still writing to his best friend Max in Switzerland, though he never hears from him and the reader never finds out if he made to safety. But Natt's letters are a wonderful shortcut vehicle for more giving information about what is happening with Natt and the other exiles in Siberia.
Though it is a sequel, A Boy is Not a Ghost can be read as a stand alone novel, though I would recommend reading both books. The author, Edeet Ravel, has included a lot of information relevant to Natt's experiences under Soviet occupation in the book's back matter that I would also recommend reading. I read an eARC and did not see all of the chapter illustrations or map that will be in the published book.
A Boy is Not a Ghost will be available on September 7, 2021.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from Edelweiss+
June 13, 2022
In A Boy Is Not a Ghost, Author Edeet Ravel tells the story of Natt, a boy from Eastern Europe whose family falls under Joseph Stalin's brutal rule. After his father is sent to an infamous gulag on trumped-up charges, Natt and his mother are deported to Siberia. The novel tells the story of their journey, the hardships they face, and their quest to be reunited with Natt's father. When Natt's mother is tricked into stealing food so that a Soviet guard can meet her quota of arrests, Natt's troubles multiply. He must learn whom he can trust, how to "become invisible," and how to use his intellect and personality to survive. Throughout his deportation, he falls into the hands of selfish people who take advantage of his youth, but he also makes genuine friends who help him in so many ways.
While Natt and his mother are the central focus of the plot, Ravel draws in details about World War II, the types of people who were deported, and the ways deportees were treated. From the body-breaking labor they were forced to perform, to the lack of food and primitive living conditions they endured, Ravel shows the privations that deportees and Siberians suffered under Stalin.
Through all of the danger, abuse, and uncertainty, Natt remains hopeful, optimistic, and convinced that good people exist and will act with courage and kindness. Not only is he struggling to endure hunger, bitter cold, and possible arrest, he is also working through his own shame over rejecting his father.
Ravel's story has a well=paced plot with enough action and suspense to keep readers intrigued. As a protagonist, Natt feels very young, younger than the twelve to fifteen year-old he is described as. His actions and concerns seem more child-like, allowing him to make friends, have a romantic crush, and enjoy his life, even while his father serves a twenty-year sentence in a brutal gulag and his mother serves her time in prison. As a result, Natt seems less of the teenager growing into adulthood, and more a child, self-centered and happy to be comfortable, safe, and fed. His concerns for his mother and his guilt over the way he treated his father appear at times, but Ravel doesn't invest those times with the weight of emotion. As a result, the story is more the tale of one young boy's experiences during his deportation and less an exploration of his maturing. The plot drives the story and creates the interest, while readers may be left wishing they could know Natt better and see his growth into a young man of courage and integrity.
As a work of historical fiction, Edeet Ravel has written a story that shows readers conditions in Soviet Eastern Europe. The dangers and depressed quality of life are clear, and the sense of powerlessness and fear are genuine. As a writer of curriculum, I would pair this book with other WWII-set novels to create an educational unit with varied perspectives. This story would work well with novels like Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray or Hautzig's The Endless Steppe to give a multi-faceted study of the Siberian deportations that occurred under Stalin.
While Natt and his mother are the central focus of the plot, Ravel draws in details about World War II, the types of people who were deported, and the ways deportees were treated. From the body-breaking labor they were forced to perform, to the lack of food and primitive living conditions they endured, Ravel shows the privations that deportees and Siberians suffered under Stalin.
Through all of the danger, abuse, and uncertainty, Natt remains hopeful, optimistic, and convinced that good people exist and will act with courage and kindness. Not only is he struggling to endure hunger, bitter cold, and possible arrest, he is also working through his own shame over rejecting his father.
Ravel's story has a well=paced plot with enough action and suspense to keep readers intrigued. As a protagonist, Natt feels very young, younger than the twelve to fifteen year-old he is described as. His actions and concerns seem more child-like, allowing him to make friends, have a romantic crush, and enjoy his life, even while his father serves a twenty-year sentence in a brutal gulag and his mother serves her time in prison. As a result, Natt seems less of the teenager growing into adulthood, and more a child, self-centered and happy to be comfortable, safe, and fed. His concerns for his mother and his guilt over the way he treated his father appear at times, but Ravel doesn't invest those times with the weight of emotion. As a result, the story is more the tale of one young boy's experiences during his deportation and less an exploration of his maturing. The plot drives the story and creates the interest, while readers may be left wishing they could know Natt better and see his growth into a young man of courage and integrity.
As a work of historical fiction, Edeet Ravel has written a story that shows readers conditions in Soviet Eastern Europe. The dangers and depressed quality of life are clear, and the sense of powerlessness and fear are genuine. As a writer of curriculum, I would pair this book with other WWII-set novels to create an educational unit with varied perspectives. This story would work well with novels like Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray or Hautzig's The Endless Steppe to give a multi-faceted study of the Siberian deportations that occurred under Stalin.
August 20, 2021
Based on true events, Natt and his parents live in Russia as World War II begins. Stalin has ordered men to be arrested and sent to Gulags (mines in Siberia with prisoner labor), and Natt's father is sentenced to 20 years; a standard for quota-based arrests and sham trials.
Worried about him, they are arrested, also sentenced, and sent on a nightmare journey to a distant and (almost the coldest) area of Siberia for reasons no one understands (except they are Jews by heritage). This has nothing to do with religion or beliefs.
I typically avoid books about the suffering endured by people during war. I already know much more than I can forget.
Natt's story includes how he, his mother, and others survived--somehow. But more than that, it's about the good heart of this young boy. How he helped and brightened the lives of others without recognizing the value of his gifts.
Instead of turning to anger or bitterness, Natt and his mother look for ways to be useful, or to avoid attention; like being a ghost. Their resilience is astonishing, but their ability to make lasting friendships is completely understandable.
Despite the cruelty, harshness, and horrifying conditions, the soul-deep kindness and sacrifice of some people--regardless of the personal danger--shows that goodness is a choice. Instead of being a depressing story, it is one of hope.
This is a book worthy of reading as a family, class, group, or individual; about resilience, developing personal abilities, friendship, dedication, loyalty, and overcoming fear. I highly recommend it, and applaud the author for her ability to share this story as it truly is; something lasting and triumphant.
5/5 Stars
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGally for the honor of previewing this ebook!
#ABoyIsNotaGhost #NetGalley
Worried about him, they are arrested, also sentenced, and sent on a nightmare journey to a distant and (almost the coldest) area of Siberia for reasons no one understands (except they are Jews by heritage). This has nothing to do with religion or beliefs.
I typically avoid books about the suffering endured by people during war. I already know much more than I can forget.
Natt's story includes how he, his mother, and others survived--somehow. But more than that, it's about the good heart of this young boy. How he helped and brightened the lives of others without recognizing the value of his gifts.
Instead of turning to anger or bitterness, Natt and his mother look for ways to be useful, or to avoid attention; like being a ghost. Their resilience is astonishing, but their ability to make lasting friendships is completely understandable.
Despite the cruelty, harshness, and horrifying conditions, the soul-deep kindness and sacrifice of some people--regardless of the personal danger--shows that goodness is a choice. Instead of being a depressing story, it is one of hope.
This is a book worthy of reading as a family, class, group, or individual; about resilience, developing personal abilities, friendship, dedication, loyalty, and overcoming fear. I highly recommend it, and applaud the author for her ability to share this story as it truly is; something lasting and triumphant.
5/5 Stars
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGally for the honor of previewing this ebook!
#ABoyIsNotaGhost #NetGalley
August 12, 2022
This title is nominated for the 2023 Hackmatack Award in the English Fiction category.
After learning that this book was in fact a sequel to another title that I have no read, I was expecting to feel like I was missing part of the story. However that was not the case. At the beginning of the book we meet Nat, a twelve year old boy who is travelling thousands of kilometers by train to an unknown destination in far off Siberia. He and his mother are part of an ersatz family unit that gets whittled down one by one until eventually Nat finds himself more or less alone. The story begins when Nat is twelve almost thirteen, and ends just after his fifteenth birthday, so there is a noticeable shift in tone as he matures due to his age and also the incredibly trying circumstances that he must overcome. The book is based on the life of a man named Nahum Halpern, who became a teacher in Montreal (the author was his student). I cannot imagine having to navigate everything he did, and when he and his mother were finally reunited with his father I was overcome with emotion.
A tremendous story of character and courage that details a terrible time in history in language that is accessible for kids. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone ages 9 and up.
After learning that this book was in fact a sequel to another title that I have no read, I was expecting to feel like I was missing part of the story. However that was not the case. At the beginning of the book we meet Nat, a twelve year old boy who is travelling thousands of kilometers by train to an unknown destination in far off Siberia. He and his mother are part of an ersatz family unit that gets whittled down one by one until eventually Nat finds himself more or less alone. The story begins when Nat is twelve almost thirteen, and ends just after his fifteenth birthday, so there is a noticeable shift in tone as he matures due to his age and also the incredibly trying circumstances that he must overcome. The book is based on the life of a man named Nahum Halpern, who became a teacher in Montreal (the author was his student). I cannot imagine having to navigate everything he did, and when he and his mother were finally reunited with his father I was overcome with emotion.
A tremendous story of character and courage that details a terrible time in history in language that is accessible for kids. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone ages 9 and up.
January 2, 2022
A Boy is Not a Ghost is an incredible story. This book is written by Edeet Ravel, who also wrote A Boy is Not a Bird. Both of these stories are about a young boy caught up in life during a war.
Natt Silver is twelve years old as he rides with his mother and their neighbors in the cattle car of a train headed for Siberia. He describes in perfect detail the sounds, smells and crowded conditions on the train as they slowly travel across Russia for two long months. The food is scarce and the weather gets colder as they travel north. His father is in a Gulag or prison under extreme conditions. He and his mother do not know where they are going end up or what life will be like there.
This book is so beautifully written. It is appropriate for middle school readers and it is such an incredibly poignant and touching story that it is also an important story for adult readers. Ravel has written this novel based on the true story of her fifth grade teacher, Nahum Halpern, who shared stories of his childhood with his students.
Natt Silver is twelve years old as he rides with his mother and their neighbors in the cattle car of a train headed for Siberia. He describes in perfect detail the sounds, smells and crowded conditions on the train as they slowly travel across Russia for two long months. The food is scarce and the weather gets colder as they travel north. His father is in a Gulag or prison under extreme conditions. He and his mother do not know where they are going end up or what life will be like there.
This book is so beautifully written. It is appropriate for middle school readers and it is such an incredibly poignant and touching story that it is also an important story for adult readers. Ravel has written this novel based on the true story of her fifth grade teacher, Nahum Halpern, who shared stories of his childhood with his students.
March 22, 2022
I appreciate this book for what it is: a harrowing tale of how people were treated by dictatorial governments and the tribulations of trying to keep a family together. I really found it terribly depressing and it really didn't hold my attention. I read three other books while reading this one because I just couldn't be bothered carrying on. It's poignant given current global events in Eastern Europe but I think we can find better works to nominate. I
I find myself comparing this to a title I read last year where a young boy goes through situation after situation to try and get back to his parents and how unbelievable it was. The author's note says that this is all inspired by true events and that only characters were added but I can't imagine a boy of 12 learning so many languages, not eating enough food, being passed around, all while in one of the harshest climates in the world.
I find myself comparing this to a title I read last year where a young boy goes through situation after situation to try and get back to his parents and how unbelievable it was. The author's note says that this is all inspired by true events and that only characters were added but I can't imagine a boy of 12 learning so many languages, not eating enough food, being passed around, all while in one of the harshest climates in the world.
March 5, 2022
Very well-written piece of historical fiction that I think is both accessible and engaging for the middle school age. I was interested in the fact that it takes place in Russia, as I think many stories revolve around the Nazis and Western Europe. In recounting his thoughts, attitudes, and struggles, Nat comes across as honest and authentic, which makes him someone with whom kids will be able to relate.
October 21, 2022
Everyone is looking to be seen, be recognized, to make a difference. This is a unique perspective on that theme of a young boy, left on his own to survive in the dark and coldness of Siberia under communist rule.
February 13, 2022
Based on a true events during World War II, readers will get caught up in this young boy’s story of survival. When government forces begin to displace citizens in Eastern Europe Natt and his mother travel under horrific conditions to Siberia. With his father in the Gulag and then his mother falsely arrested, Natt faces torments, yet never gives up hope of being reunited with them. The hardest part is learning who to trust and when to be invisible. Along the way many people take advantage of Natt, but he also makes genuine friends. Although his story is sorrowful, Natt teaches us that resilience and kindness can still be a choice.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews